Radon Concerns

I did a radon test on the last house we lived in. Pretty simple process and the county gave me one for free.
After all the research and testing my study of the issue revealed that there was no definitive scientific study that linked residential radon exposure to any disease. Anything I found was just theoretical. Maybe thats changed in the last 7 yrs but it seemed suspicious to me.
 
64bawagon said:
I did a radon test on the last house we lived in. Pretty simple process and the county gave me one for free.
After all the research and testing my study of the issue revealed that there was no definitive scientific study that linked residential radon exposure to any disease. Anything I found was just theoretical. Maybe thats changed in the last 7 yrs but it seemed suspicious to me.
Click to expand...
I THOUGHT there were some studies............but I mean how would they run a statistically valid test?
 
cdlamb said:
Seems we never heard much about Radon 15 or 20 years back.
Click to expand...
35 years ago, my father gave me a Radon Test kit.
The reading was high, but I was young and dumb.

Today I am older and wiser and will be getting a radon mitigation system installed next month.
Someday when my house is sold, I'd hate to think there could be children playing in the basement (with high radon readings).

The installer said he does 500 systems each year.
70% are from real-estate transactions.
30% are from homeowners (like me) calling.
 
If you think Radon is not dangerous I have a cigarette for you to smoke. :censored:
No kidding, it's worse than cigarettes at many levels and you dont smell it.
Denying it, is like denying cigarettes are bad for you.
Have radon and smoke? WOW that is off the charts bad
Radon is EASY to take care of, even do it yourself, dont ignore it.
Gosh people read the news of people who die every day, even in here from auto accidents, one person or a few people.
Yet 21,000 TWENTY ONE THOUSAND deaths in the USA are caused my radon gas in the USA every year>
SO go ahead and pack those lungs with radio active gas :whistle: (no really, its serious stuff and it is radioactive gas)

"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that radon causes 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year. Radon is the leading environmental cause of any cancer. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer, after smoking. People who smoke and are exposed to radon have a 10 times greater risk of developing lung cancer from radon exposure compared with people who do not smoke and are exposed to the same radon levels."

BTW- Death by Lung Cancer is brutal, I saw it in my mom, an amazing active mom who took care of herself, looked so young doctors always questioned her age, who quit smoking was a non smoker for 42 years. Doctors gave her hope, removing pieces of her lung, Radiation, Chemo, the misery and pain towards the end was heart wrenching. She couldn't take it anymore and just wanted it to end and RIP 😥 and she did.

Source =
www.cdc.gov

Radon and Your Health

National Radon Action Month take steps to reduce radon levels and spread the word.
www.cdc.gov www.cdc.gov
 
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I know what they say, but show me the definitive study ? I worked 25 yrs as a Paramedic in a busy municipality, I have seen it all so I know what people dying looks like. Not to mention the fact that I held an "operations level" Hazmat certification for 15 yrs. I certainly am not a Radon expert by any means.
Just because a Govt agency says something doesnt mean its true, you only need to look at Fauci to see that. I have no dog in this fight, I am just asking questions and all I hear is anecdotal. All I see now is agency after agency pointing to each others study in a circular bias confirmation.
 
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64bawagon said:
I know what they say, but show me the definitive study ? I worked 25 yrs as a Paramedic in a busy municipality, I have seen it all so I know what people dying looks like. Not to mention the fact that I held an "operations level" Hazmat certification for 15 yrs. I certainly am not a Radon expert by any means.
Just because a Govt agency says something doesnt mean its true, you only need to look at Fauci to see that. I have no dog in this fight, I am just asking questions and all I hear is anecdotal. All I see now is agency after agency pointing to each others study in a circular bias confirmation.
Click to expand...
Government agency?
Ummm I’ll keep this short just do a search on the internet for the hundreds of non government agencies around the world that report the cancer causing Radioactive Radon Gas.
If you want to contest something supply proof or documentation other than words.
This reminds me of the cigarette debate of deniers decades ago🙃 No you are not a radon expert that is correct.
Education we can agree is key.

How about starting internationally with the link below or to every medical university in the USA that has studies and or statements on Radon. Your search engine is a great tool.

Radon

WHO fact sheet on radon and cancer: includes key facts, definition, health effects, radon in homes, radon in drinking water, WHO response.
www.who.int www.who.int

Now let’s go over to Europe
www.bmj.com

Radon in homes and risk of lung cancer: collaborative analysis of individual data from 13 European case-control studies

Objective To determine the risk of lung cancer associated with exposure at home to the radioactive disintegration products of naturally occurring radon gas Design Collaborative analysis of individual data from 13 case-control studies of residential radon and lung cancer. Setting Nine European...
www.bmj.com www.bmj.com
 
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Pablo said:
I have zero doubt radon gas is bad for the human body.


How many of the cancers are directly related is the question.
Click to expand...
I think among the research community a low of 3% to a high of 13% in my limited reading.
But if anyone interested I posted a fairly recent link of a European study, but let’s get real there are maybe hundreds of studies *LOL* Free will if you want to breathe the stuff that’s ok too! 😂

Even if conservative numbers of 3 to 13% sound low to someone and you don’t care if your one out of the 3 to 13 people out of every 100 who will get lung cancer from high levels of radon until proven otherwise .. well

PS lots of studies on the internet answer your question but it is a wide swing
I posted a EU study that goes into great detail in a previous post right above this one (post 27) and there are many more
 
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Not sure I can provide "documentation" of a question. I dont know how that works.
As far as your WHO link, After the last 3 yrs I dont know that I would cite them as a source for anything considering their recent record.
Like so many other "sources" they dont really cite any definitive scientific studies, they follow the circular model of agencies citing each other.
I am amenable to the idea that its an issue but so far I havent seen anything that passes as cold hard facts.
Thanks for agreeing with me that I am not an expert, at least we have that in common.
 
goingplacesanddoingstuff said:
Good grief
Click to expand...
Never scoff when someone actually asks for hard data.
It's a reasonable thing to discuss - I mean the safety of fluoride ingestion and RNA shots come to mind. Sold very hard, for reasons that seem all innocent but not so much in the case of fluoride ingestion.

That said I 100% agree, easy to vent and probably a good idea in a tight house anyway.
 
64bawagon said:
I am amenable to the idea that its an issue but so far I havent seen anything that passes as cold hard facts.
Click to expand...
Some people smoke cigarettes their whole life's and never get lung cancer.
I prefer not to smoke.

Some people will have high radon levels in their basements and never get lung cancer.
I prefer to reduce those levels.

The best approach is to test your home.
Then go from there, (who else besides you could be affected).
--------------------------------------------------------
The test I sent in showed 9.6 .... (don't want over 4.0)
My (just bought) digital gage this morning shows 11.3 .... (radon levels fluctuate daily).
Going to have a venting system installed Nov 13. .... I can't wait.
 
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For those who are interested here is an interesting read but tons of stuff out there.
I also have another thought moving forward in this energy efficient world if anything radon might become more of an issue in homes.
We moved into a new home this year, from our old home that we bought new 15 years ago.

I dont know if it is building code in NC or national or an option but our builder has an independent testing company check the home before we closed. There is a certificate on the breaker box with the results.
I also viewed the home as it was constructed. Amazing amount of stuff done to prevent air infiltration. These new homes are tighter than ever so if you have radon coming into the house it has the potential to build to even higher levels. It's not like the old leaky homes anymore. Every hole in the lumber for plumbing, fittings, electrical are filled with foam. Every seem in the exterior house wrap tightly sealed with some robust tape. All window frames and door frames properly sealed.

Anyway, I noticed out HVAC system and it was pointed out to us. The main air return duck has an electrically controlled damper that at some point opens to exchange some air inside the home, its a operate duck that goes to an outside air vent in the roof.

This is a good read for those interested, I find this stuff fascinating and well, as others are doing and have done, VERY easy to rectify.
I could care less what others may think, if you have known radioactive gas in your home and the whole world reports on its effect or possible effect, why not get rid of it? Simple stuff.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Radon and Lung Cancer: Current Trends and Future Perspectives

Radon represents the main risk factor of lung cancer in non-smokers and the second one in smoking patients. In Europe, there are several radon-prone areas, but regulatory policies may vary between countries. Radon causes DNA damage and high genomic tumor ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

@MasterSolenoid
@Pablo
@Slick3914
@JHZR2
 
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Another advantage to getting a radon mitigation system installed is,
they will connect a manometer (u-shaped tube) to the PVC pipe in the basement and you can confirm the system is working.

I like gages, and I want to know how the sausage is made.
 
alarmguy said:
Anyway, I noticed out HVAC system and it was pointed out to us. The main air return duck has an electrically controlled damper that at some point opens to exchange some air inside the home, its a operate duck that goes to an outside air vent in the roof.
Click to expand...

That is required by code if the blower door test (also required by code) shows that the house has an air infiltration rate less than 3 air changes per hour.
 
alarmguy said:
@brianl703
:unsure: Sometimes I look back at what I typed and wonder how I did those typos. Sometimes text to speech, most times not!
Click to expand...

I figured it was text to speech or that swipe typing function. It's still readable, that's the important part. I mostly post to BITOG from my laptop. I may have replied once or twice from my phone. Just not a fan of tiny screens and virtual keyboards.
 
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